Back in the 1980s, someone at the tourism board created a myth about a half fish, half lion, and the gawking tourists helped seal its status as an iconic (nobody said it was pretty) Singapore sight. While visiting this S$165,000 concrete creature isn't in itself worth your time, the Marina Bay views make the trip worthwhile. Don't forget to jump on a boat cruise for a complete circuit of Singapore's changing waterways.
Merlion
Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.86 MILES
Take a tour through the Battlebox Museum, the former command post of the British during WWII, and get lost in the eerie and deathly quiet 26-room…
9.22 MILES
The line between zoo and botanic oasis blurs at this pulse-slowing sweep of spacious, naturalistic enclosures and interactive attractions. Get up close to…
0.79 MILES
Singapore's 21st-century botanical garden is a S$1 billion, 101-hectare fantasy land of space-age biodomes, high-tech Supertrees and whimsical sculptures…
0.31 MILES
Connected by a striking aluminium and glass canopy, Singapore's historic City Hall and Old Supreme Court buildings now form the city's breathtaking…
3.02 MILES
Singapore's 74-hectare botanic wonderland is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the city's most arresting attractions. Established in 1860, it's a…
4.02 MILES
Made up of a series of parks and hills connecting Kent Ridge Park to Mt Faber and the Labrador Nature Reserve, the Southern Ridges will have you trekking…
4.05 MILES
MacRitchie Reservoir makes for a calming, evocative jungle escape. Walking trails skirt the water's edge and snake through the mature secondary rainforest…
1.36 MILES
Baba House is one of Singapore's best-preserved Peranakan heritage homes. Built in the 1890s, this beautiful blue three-storey building was donated to the…
Nearby Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay attractions
0.13 MILES
Chong Fah Cheong’s First Generation is one of Singapore's best loved and most joyful sculptures, depicting five young boys leaping into the river below.
0.14 MILES
Built in 1869, this suspension bridge links the north and south banks of the Singapore River. Don't bring your horses or cattle as they will not be…
0.14 MILES
This 3.6m-high pagoda was built in tribute to Major-General Lim Bo Seng, a Singaporean WWII hero.
0.19 MILES
This remarkable museum houses the region's most comprehensive collection of pan-Asian treasures. Its galleries explore the history, cultures, textiles and…
6. Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall
0.22 MILES
Completed in 1862, the Victoria Theatre was one of Singapore's first Victorian Revivalist buildings, inspired by the Italian Renaissance. It reopened in…
7. Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
0.22 MILES
Singapore’s S$600 million Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay offers a nonstop program of international and local performances, and free outdoor performances…